Ironing boards have typically included areas for resting hot irons as either extensions to the ironing board or as discreet regions of the ironing board cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,292,977 to Wilson is an example of an ironing board having an extension for resting a hot iron in its horizontal operative position. The extension includes a corrugated section having opposing sides and a rear edge flange. Further examples are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,651,427, 1,659,427, 1,784,959 of other similar structures.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,403,088 to Lefkovits is an example of an ironing board cover in which a scorch resistant layer has been provided in a pocket of the ironing board cover. The layer of scorch resistant material may alternatively be secured directly to the ironing board cover with snaps. Where the layer of scorch resistant material is provided in the pocket, the scorch resistant material is not flush with the cover. The user cannot freely slide the iron onto and off of the safety panel without lifting the iron.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,267,112 to Kovalik shows an ironing board covering in which a layer of scorch resistant material has been fastened to the top of the cover with a binding strip. The binding strip surrounds the scorch resistant material and overlaps with the cover. The overlapping sections are then sewn into the cover to secure the scorch resistant material. The scorch resistant material is not flush with the ironing board cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,458,698 to Galbraith shows an ironing board cover having a pad structure for resting a hot iron thereon. The pad structure is provided in a frame over the ironing board cover. The frame surrounds all four sides of the pad structure. The frame prevents a user from freely sliding the iron onto and off of the pad structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,850,817 to Rudd et al. shows an ironing board cover that includes an ironing pad secured to the cover by folding the cover material downward to form pleats, which define the edges of a pocket. The pad is inserted into the pocket. The ironing pad is not flush with the cover material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,636,644 to Janetzke shows an ironing board cover that includes a strip of non-scorch material for resting a hot iron. The non-scorch material extends entirely across the ironing board in the vicinity of the heel of an ironing board. The non-scorch material is secured to the ironing board cover by stitching. A disadvantage of this design is that the iron may easily slide over the edges of the ironing board. Falling over the edge of an ironing board is one of the most common causes of broken irons.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,603 to Lehrman shows an ironing board cover that includes a heat resistant padding bonded to the cover. The heat resistant pad is not provided with any enclosures to prevent an iron from sliding over the edge of the ironing board.